Taliban orders beauty salons in Afghanistan to close

The Taliban has ordered all beauty salons to shut their doors in the latest in a series of attacks on the freedom of women in Afghanistan.

The Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Propagation of Virtue made an announcement yesterday (July 4) saying all beauty and hair salons must shut within a month.

“The deadline for the closing of beauty parlours for women is one month,” Mohammad Sadiq Akif, a spokesperson for the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Propagation of Virtue, said, referring to the official ministry notice. 

After this time, each salon is required to submit a report confirming it has shut down business.

Beauty salons were previously banned in Afghanistan when the Taliban they were last in power between 1996 and 2001. 

However, they were allowed to reopen after the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan. 

Beauty salons then remained open even after the Taliban regained power two years ago after the withdrawal of US forces, although salon windows were often covered.

It is understood that no explanation has been given by The Taliban government as to the reasons for the new ban.

Many foreign governments have condemned the increasing restrictions on women since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Last year, Taliban authorities closed the majority of girls' high schools, and banned women from going to university. 

Many public facilities, including gyms and parks, have also been closed to women. The United Nations was also forced to suspend several aid programmes in Afghanistan after the Taliban banned women from humanitarian work in the country.

The Taliban claims that it respects women’s rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan customs.